WEST HAVEN, Conn. — The Notre Dame-West Haven Green Knights were faced with a do-or-die game against Hamden on Thanksgiving Day, needing a victory to just qualify for the State Class L tournament. Less than two weeks later, the Knights are the unanimous choice as Connecticut’s No. 1 team.
The state’s coaches and writers made Notre Dame the state’s top-ranked team with narrow decisions over the Cheshire Rams in both polls. Both teams finished with 11-1 records and claimed state championships.
Notre Dame-West Haven came a long way since last season when former head coach John DeCaprio resigned following a 4-6 finish. Athletic director Tom Marcucci, a former Notre Dame head coach and an assistant to DeCaprio for five seasons, took over a team that hadn’t won a state title since 2001.
The Knights split their first two games, beating Fairfield Prep 48-6 on opening day before losing a 29-28 heartbreaker to Xavier in week two. That turned out to be Notre Dame’s final loss, as the Knights rolled to 10 consecutive victories, including a 40-36 win over Cheshire and a 31-15 win over Hamden on Thanksgiving Day. With that victory, Notre Dame leap-frogged over a couple of teams and earned the No. 3 seed in Class L.
The Knights opened the playoffs with loud bang as Tirrell Young-Williams returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown in Notre Dame’s semifinal game at No. 2 Conard. Conard tied the game at 7-7, but Notre Dame scored 20 unanswered points and went on to win 42-14. Senior captain Connor Keniry returned an interception 58 yards for a TD, and quarterback Sean Goldrich threw a 33-yard TD pass to Philip Bentley for some of the highlights.
In the final against top-ranked Pomperaug (11-1), Notre Dame scored 21 points in the third quarter and held off a late rally by the Panthers to win, 28-21. Keniry intercepted a pass in Knight territory with 10.7 seconds remaining to seal the win, and Young-Williams again delivered a couple of big plays with a 93-yard interception return for a TD, and a 70-yard TD reception from Goldrich.
The No. 1 ranking was Notre Dame’s first in nearly 50 years, and this season marked the first time since 2001 that Connecticut’s top-ranked team was not undefeated. Both Staples and Pomperaug were Connecticut’s lone unbeaten teams heading into championship weekend, but each fell.
The coaches’ and writers’ polls had the same top five, as Notre Dame and Class LL champ Cheshire were in the top two spots, with FCIAC champion and Class LL runner-up Staples (12-1) in the third spot. New Canaan (11-1), which won its fourth consecutive Class MM title, was the No. 4 team, with SWC champion and Class L runner-up Pomperaug finishing at No. 5.
The FCIAC led all conferences with four teams in the top 10, including Class SS champion St. Joseph (10-2) and FCIAC runner-up Bridgeport Central (9-2).
2. Trinity tops St. Joseph in huge early-season showdown — Jonathan Boykin hit a desperation 3-point shot at the buzzer to give the Trinity Catholic Crusaders a remarkable 67-66 victory over the St. Joseph Cadets in Stamford on opening night of the FCIAC’s basketball season.
It’s not often a win by Trinity can be called an upset, but much of the hype in the conference has been centered around the Cadets and Bridgeport Central Hilltoppers, both of whom are loaded with talent and experience. St. Joe’s was ranked sixth and Central ninth in the preseason state poll.
The Crusaders are no strangers to big games and rebounded from a slow start to take a 33-29 lead at halftime. A 20-12 third quarter gave the Cadets a 49-45 advantage heading into the fourth quarter, and they still held the lead at 66-64 in the waning seconds. Trinity got the ball to Boykin, who hit the winning shot from 50 feet away.
It was the third trey of the night for Boykin, who finished with 19 to lead the Crusaders. Remy Pinson also hit double digits with 16 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, as Trinity hit seven 3s in the game.
St. Joe’s senior guard Greg Langston led the Cadets with a game-high 27 points, while junior guard Brandon Jones added 10 and sophomore forward Timaj Parker and junior center Oscar Assie had seven apiece.
3. Knights aiming high again — Stamford High experienced perhaps its greatest basketball season when the Black Knights went 24-3 and captured the first FCIAC championship in head coach Jim Moriarty’s tenure with a victory over crosstown rival Trinity.
Stamford lost two of the driving forces behind the championship run as Chris Evans and Mike Tiscia graduated, but the Knights again appear to be loaded for another shot at the title.
The Knights got the season started on the right foot Wednesday night as they rolled to a 54-37 win over Trumbull in their season-opener. Stamford used an 18-6 second quarter to take a 27-15 lead at the half and never looked back.
Senior forward Marc Guirand racked up a game-best 23 points, while senior Mark Ellis and senior forward Jethro Anilus each scored 10. Stamford knocked down six 3-pointers. Trumbull featured a 15-point effort from Rejdi Canaj.
4. Pinto out after one year at Prep — Bill Pinto is out as head coach of the Fairfield Prep Jesuits football team after just one season. Pinto was dismissed by athletic director Steve Donahue following one of worst seasons in school history.
The Jesuits, who were 3-7 last fall, were winless in 10 games this year and were outscored by their opponents 398-83. Prep lost twice by more than 40 points — 48-6 to Notre Dame-West Haven and 49-0 shutout to Hamden. Prep lost every game by at least 21 points, with the closest game coming on Oct. 17, when it fell to Hillhouse, 36-15. They finished tied for last place with Harding in the Class LL rankings.
Pinto was an assistant coach for eight years and replaced former head coach Rich Magdon after last season. Fairfield Prep was a strong competitor for the Class LL playoffs just two years ago when it won its final five games to finish 8-2.
5. Brien McMahon looks for new coach — Joe SantaLucia is out as the head coach of the Brien McMahon football team, after the Senators went 3-7 in 2009.
SantaLucia’s team opened the year with two wins in its first three games, but then lost six straight, including a 34-7 loss to Bassick, a 2-8 team. Bassick had not beaten a team outside of the city of Bridgeport since the 2001 campaign.
The Senators did finish on a positive note when they knocked off city rival Norwalk, 14-13, on Thanksgiving Day. SantaLucia replaced former head coach Rob Trifone for the 2005 season, and in his first year McMahon went 4-6, the team’s first losing season since 1999. They bounced back to go 6-4 the following season, but were 3-8 in 2008. Overall, the Senators were 16-25 during SantaLucia’s four years at the helm.
SantaLucia, who teaches at BMHS, will remain the head coach of the Senators’ wrestling team.
6. Buschbaum steps down at New Fairfield — Andy Buchsbaum, who coached the New Fairfield Rebels for the past five years, resigned following the team’s 6-4 season.
The Rebels were 19-31 under Buchsbaum, and had an impressive 2009 campaign in the SWC. They opened with three straight losses, but rebounded to win six of their last seven. That run included a 34-33 victory at Stratford, a 42-21 victory over perennial power Newtown and a 26-20 overtime win against New Milford on Thanksgiving Day.
Dave Stewart, the Sports Editor of the New Canaan (Conn.) Advertiser, is a MaxPreps.com writer and photographer. He may be reached at 203-966-9541 or at sports@ncadvertiser.com.
